Selim Caravanserai, Armenia

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In old times many roads traversed Armenia, connecting different parts of the country and neighboring countries: they were of economic and military importance. To serve the roads caravanserais were built, unique architectural monuments of Medieval Armenia.

One of them is the caravanserai of Selim, situated in the Selim (Sulema) mountain pass, 2410 m above the sea level, on the old road that connected historical Gegharkunik with Vayots Dzor. According to the two building inscriptions (one of which is in Arabic) the caravanserai was built in 1332 by Prince Orbelyan Chesar.

The hall is divided into three naves by seven pairs of pillars. From the western side, at the end of the narrow aisles small rooms were built for the men that accompanied the caravan. The animals of the caravan settled in the hall's narrow aisles, where stone troughs were built for them between the pillars and in one of the corners of the hall there was a whole water-pool.

The caravanserai, built of basaltic stone, stretches from east to west. It belongs to a type of caravanserai of Armenia with one hall and three aisles. To the eastern part of the quite large hall (13.0 x 26.0 m) a chapel was added (now half-destroyed).

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